Insanity
by averygirl
Summary: Stefan Salvatore finally finds hope amidst the darkness ... And perhaps, a cure for his Elena Gilbert-induced insanity. Stefan/OC... well, eventually.
1. Chapter 1

_**Just a note:**__ I love Tyler, Matt and occasionally Damon (when he's with Bonnie anyway! haha) but Stefan will always be my number one favorite TVD guy - my number one favorite guy on TV, period. I hate, hate, hate seeing him hurting all the time. I think Stefan needs and certainly deserves a second chance at finding a truly epic love - someone very special. So I came up with someone , I think; someone I wish he could be with in canon… Anyway, this story picks up after Episode 6x02. Enzo has killed Ivy and that's the true end of her here. Read on to see what happens next._

* * *

><p><strong><span>Insanity<span>**

**Prologue**

Ivy was dead - dead because she had dared to want him. She had died tragically because of who he was; because of _what_ he was, and yet, never once in their short time together, had he been able to tell her what she'd so desperately wanted to hear. She had wanted him to love her, to need her, to want her beyond reason or rationality, and he couldn't give her that - not even in death.

It was impossible, simply because she wasn't Elena Gilbert.

_How did it always come back to Elena?_ Even standing over the broken body of another woman, he thought of the beautiful brunette. He knew that he was incredibly pathetic for this - pathetic and sick in the head! But Elena plagued his thoughts always, and even now, he had to wonder - would there ever be a day, or an hour; hell, even a second, where he didn't miss Elena; didn't long for her; didn't ache for her, or feel like taking another step without her went against his very nature?

_Loving Elena…_ It was his damnation. He wondered now - if deep down, she had been the reason he had stopped searching for Damon; the reason why he had given up hope for his brother's return in a mere two month's time… Stefan knew that he deserved nothing short of an eternity of misery for that act of betrayal… even though at the time, he had_ almost_ managed to convince himself that walking away was the best thing for everyone involved…

Looking at Ivy's broken body on the floor now, he felt gut-wrenching guilt and shame. He might as well have killed her himself. Had he actually been deluded enough to think that he could really start over; that he deserved anything more than what he had now – _nothing?_

He slowly moved to Ivy's still form. Crouching down, he gingerly slipped a hand behind her head, supporting her cold, broken neck as best as he could. Her dark eyes were open, forever frozen in fear, and silent accusation. The way she looked at Stefan… It was as if she blamed him for this tragic turn of events.

_Well, he didn't blame her one fucking bit._

Grinding his teeth into his bottom lip so hard that he tasted blood, he forced himself to walk the short distance to the sofa. He gently placed Ivy's shattered body atop the cushions, covering her with an afghan blanket. Finally, his eyes moved to the candles still burning on the mantle. He knew what he had to do.

Whispering, _"I'm so sorry, Ivy",_ he moved over to the mantle and grasped the first candle that he stumbled upon. Picking it up, he felt the hot wax lick at his fingertips, searing his skin, branding it. For a moment he allowed the flame to burn his hand with its white-hot fury; allowed it to charcoal his skin and punish him for what he was about to do.

He sighed deeply and then heaved the candle across the room. It smacked into one of the throw pillows sitting against the sofa; immediately setting the soft, fluffy item aflame.

The whole room was soon engulfed in smoke. Stefan strode purposefully for the door. He had destroyed as much evidence as he could – destroyed anything obvious; anything that might potentially trace back to him, and thereby, Caroline… or god forbid, Elena …

_Elena …_ He had to make her get out of his fucking head!

He walked out of the house as flames danced almost hypnotically beyond the windowpane.

He climbed into his SUV and pulled out of the driveway. As he turned the corner at the end of the street, he heard the peal of sirens in the distance. It was too late for Ivy though… and far too late to save Stefan Salvatore's soul.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Daylight was just breaking as Stefan pulled up in front of the old boarding house. For a moment, he just sat in front of the place, almost daring not to move. No sounds came from inside; he sensed no movement whatsoever within its walls either - neither vampire, nor any other species, lurked about. The place was for all intents and purpose, _dead. _

Just as he was.

He told himself that it was alright; that he didn't want to see anyone anyway. _Everything is fine_, he thought, willing himself to believe it, even as his hands shook a bit on the steering wheel. Forcing them to steady, he finally reached for the door handle. Popping the door open, he dropped to the ground on sure feet. He then moved for the front door, his steps slow and almost hesitant. He knew once he stepped inside of the place that he was going to be assaulted by memories – memories of Damon… Memories of Elena… Memories of what had seemed but a fleeting moment in time – a blink of an eye when he had allowed himself to believe he could be happy, that he_ deserved_ to be.

_What a crock of shit._

He kicked open the door, splintering some of the wood in the process. He just wanted to get in there, grab some weapons, and get the hell out.

He stepped over the threshold and immediately a million memories threatened to bring him to his knees. He had spent the last several months refusing to feel _anything _and now all it took to nearly break him, to drop him to his knees, was seeing that familiar spot on the floor where he and Elena used to make out for hours - when they really should have being doing homework instead.

He closed his eyes for a long moment, steadied his breath, and then walked deeper into the room. When he opened his eyes he was staring at the familiar glass decanter on the end table. Damon's favorite decanter - still half full with bourbon that he would never drink again.

Stefan stomped over to the end table, picked up the bottle and heaved it at the empty fireplace. The house was preternaturally cold and he knew that not even a fire in that same hearth could have warmed it. For awhile, he had eked out a life and now it was all gone, taking any warmth and feeling with it.

"Fuck it, fuck it all," he whispered hoarsely. When he looked up, he spotted a figure standing in the doorway - a soft, feminine figure, sunlight blanketing them. There was a moment when he thought… No… It wasn't. It couldn't be.

He had to blink twice before she can into focus.

"Caroline."

"Were you expecting someone else?"

He didn't answer.

Caroline moved into the room, looking at what remained of the door; spotting the shards of glass on the floor. She lifted an eyebrow in question but just said, "So you're back," as she crossed her arms over her chest in a self-protective sort of way.

Stefan nodded. "Not for long… What are you doing here?"

Caroline shook her head, choosing to answer his question first. "I come by this place sometimes, you know, just to remember… Whatever..." She sighed. "So you're not going to stick around… Why exactly did you come back then?"

Stefan saw the hurt in her eyes and he turned away. Saying nothing, he just moved to the huge closet and yanked out several weapons, weapons that he would use to kill Enzo. He wanted retribution. He wanted to turn his shock, anger and guilt onto another and Enzo had made himself the perfect target when he'd snapped Ivy's neck.

He hooked the strap of a crossbow over his broad shoulder. He turned back to see Caroline's eyes were wide and disbelieving. She stared at him as if he was insane. He knew that if he wasn't already mad, then he was dangerously close to being so.

"What the hell are you doing with those?" Caroline bit out.

"I'm going to kill Enzo," he replied in a flat voice.

Caroline immediately sputtered. "Wait – wait, excuse me? Did I just hear you say-"

"You heard me."

"Why the hell would you want to do a thing like that? I know he was a little – okay, a lot rude – at dinner last night but-"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "He was a lot more than rude … He killed Ivy after you walked out." Or more like ran…

"What?" Caroline's eyes were impossibly wide now. _"No."_

"Yes, Caroline. Your little road trip buddy broke my girlfriend's neck right in front of me," Stefan said, practically spitting out the words. "And now the bastard needs to die."

He stomped to the door but Caroline immediately zipped in front of him, blocking his exit. He just rolled his eyes heavenward. "Caroline, get out of the way. You're not going to stop me."

"Stefan, I won't let you kill Enzo. He's surprisingly… Well, he has turned out to be one of the most stable friends I have left." Pointedly, she added, "Others I haven't exactly been able to count on lately."

"I'm killing him," Stefan said with steely resolve, in a like-it-or-not-I-give-less-than-a-damn tone of voice. "It would make things a lot easier for all involved if you just tell me where he is."

"I'm not telling you where he is!" Caroline spat. "No way in hell. I protect my friends even when they do incredibly stupid things… I _love_ my friends. I will _not _stop fighting for my friends even when they seem too far gone."

Stefan didn't want to hear any of this, not at all. He barked out, "Maybe that's your problem, Caroline. You just don't know when to give up."

Caroline's eyes immediately moistened at hearing his harshly spoken words and he felt badly. Just for a moment, he felt remorse and shame, and it nearly crippled him. Then he pushed his feelings down, just like always. He made his emotions go away because had to.

"Step aside," he said commandingly.

"You know what you are? You're a jerk, Stefan Salvatore," Caroline said. "A complete creep. And for the record, I will not let you kill Enzo. Not ever."

"You don't have actually have a say in the matter," he said as he immediately shoved past her. She was screaming his name as he vaulted back into the SUV and slammed the locks down. No way was he letting her get in the way of his mission.

He gunned the engine and peeled out of the dirt driveway. He refused to ever look back again.

XoXoXo

He had to think. _Where would his little buddy Enzo go at a time like this?_

He had stopped by all of the usual haunts – what remained of them, anyway –and didn't see the accented vampire anywhere.

He walked down the streets, looking all about, listening carefully, when he spotted two bikini clad girls walk out of a restaurant, carrying matching ice coolers. "This party is going to be the shit!" the blonde one said.

"Hells yeah," the redhead returned as they moved down the street, shaking their tiny asses all the way. "And it's such a beautiful day out. The lake will be hopping with hotties. I may just get lucky."

The girls snickered together at that and walked on. Stefan knew then where to go. Wherever there were scantily clad females looking for a hot hookup, Enzo the Vulture would most certainly be.

Stefan made quick tracks back to his car and hopped inside. His gaze fell on the crossbow sitting on the seat beside him. It was time to go kill someone.


End file.
